Letter of the month: September 2000

My father was a Mason and when he died my mother made us bury him
wearing an apron. What was it supposed to represent? She would not
tell us. Thank you,

Glennda Stark

To: Prov31Mother@aol.com
Subject: Re: Apron
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Mon, 25 Sep 2000 21:50:08 EDT."
<4a.b507eaf.27015ad0@aol.com>
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} My father was a Mason and when he died my mother made us bury him
} wearing an apron. What was it supposed to represent? She would not
} tell us. Thank you,
}
} Glennda Stark

She didn't tell you probably because she didn't know. Your father's
lodge should have explained it to her, but maybe they didn't or maybe
they didn't make it clear.

Anyway, here's the reason your father's lodge asked your mother to
have him buried with his apron:

In the Middle Ages, the working stonemasons wore leather aprons. It
protected their clothes from the rough stones and sharp tools of their
work, and was a symbol of their craft and skill.

These days, when a man first becomes a Mason, he is given a spotless
white leather apron, and taught that its pure spotlessness is a symbol
of spotless life and conduct. Each Mason wants to be buried with his
apron, as a symbol of such a life, and also symbolizing his hope to be
received into "the Celestial Lodge Above."

(If it were up to me, each grand lodge would supply its lodges with a
small handout to give to the family of a deceased brother, explaining
this and the other parts of our ceremonies.)